USGS Activities in the Lake Superior Basin U.S. Department of the - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey November 2014

USGS Activities in the Lake Superior Basin

USGS MISSION

• Collect, monitor, analyze, and understand

natural resources

• Conduct multi-disciplinary investigations that

provide impartial scientific information

• Address broad societal and environmental

problems--with partners and stakeholders

Integrated Science

• Hydrology and water quality
• Biology and ecosystem health
• Contaminant occurrence, transport, fate
• Science to assess environmental effects
• Quality and quantity of mineral resources

USGS Science Centers provide integrated science



Hydrology and water quality



Aquatic/terrestrial biology/ecosystem health



Toxic/contaminant

• ccurrence,

transport, fate



Science to assess environmental effects



Studies of the quality and quantity of mineral resources.

Mineral resources in the Lake Superior Basin

Bedrock contains tremendous mineral wealth. Iron and copper mining for more than 150 years The Eagle Mine (Michigan) is the first of several Ni-Cu- PGE mines that may be permitted

Concerns about Mineral Extraction Involving Water Quality/Quantity and Ecosystem Health

Mining is a polarizing issue. There is need for reliable, unbiased scientific data We need to work together to address these concerns

2011- Mining Workshop

“Understanding Impacts of Mining”

• Multiple agencies involved: Bad River Band of Lake Superior

Chippewa, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC), Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, and USGS

• 24 presentations, 150 attendees from federal, state, local and tribal
• rganizations as well as mining companies
• Outcomes: Information for the public. What do we know? What are the

concerns and impacts? What information is needed for the environmental review? Set the stage for future work.

USGS Model to Address Concerns Around Mining

Impartial data and synthesis to address concerns and potential problems

Binational input from LaMP Working Group

Partnership with Federal, State, and Tribal partners. Input from USGS subject matter experts.

Backbone for USGS focus on mining issues

USGS Partners and Stakeholders

• GLNPO, EPA-ORD, BIA, NOAA, Forest

Service and other federal agencies

• LaMP Binational Working Group, Coop

Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI), Binational Forum

• State Entities-- MPCA, MN DNR, LCCMR
• University Partners: (NRRI), MGS
• Tribal partners, including GLIFWC

USGS, GLIFWC EPA-5

(2011-2015)

Synthesis Studies: USGS-NRRI- MN DNR

(2013-2016)

USGS projects and partners

(long history of USGS work in iron country)

USGS – Mineral Resource Program focus

• n the Midcontinent Rift

(2014-2017)

USGS Regional funding

(2008-2009)

USGS Mining Initiative funding

(2012-2014)

USGS Seed Funding: 2008-2009

Water quality and geochemical baseline conditions prior to metal exploration or development in a small watershed in Michigan

Refined an approach for regional environmental baseline studies in the Lake Superior Basin

http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5121/

Additional Baseline Studies- 2011-2012

• Baseline Studies in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin
• Stream gage installation
• Synoptic sampling of water quality and streambed sediment in

watersheds with potential future mining

• Support from USGS, GLIFWC, EPA-5, Tribal Entities
• Status of pre-mine hydrology and water quality?

Sampling in the St. Louis River, MN

Stream gage installation and seasonal sampling of water and streambed sediments

Sampling Salmon Trout River

USGS monitoring in watersheds with mineral deposit development or exploration

Area produced more than 11 billion pounds of native copper

Sites in Keweenaw Peninsula: 2014-2015

Sites in Bad River Basin, Wisconsin

Proposed Taconite Mine Site

Sites in NR Minnesota

(Filson and Keeley Creeks, St. Louis River)

Bad River Basin--Groundwater Modeling

How does groundwater flow and interact with streams and wetlands?

Assessment of potential mining on Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

 Baseline hydrodynamic and

water quality study at the Bad River mouth, Long Island, and Madeline Island

 Baseline sampling of Bad

River tributaries related to potential iron mining

 Compilation of existing

data

 Coordinated with NPS and

Bad River Tribal Government

Bad River mouth

Results from towable fluorescence sensor following small runoff event

USGS, GLIFWC EPA-5

(2011-2015)

*Synthesis Studies: USGS-NRRI- LCCMR-MN DNR

(2013-2016)

Understanding and Synthesis Studies

* USGS – Mineral Resource Program focus

• n the Midcontinent Rift

(2014-2017)

USGS Regional funding

(2008-2009)

USGS Mining Initiative funding

(2012-2014)

Minnesota: USGS–LCCMR-NRRI–MNDNR Study: 2014-2017

(expanding on the Mining Initiative)

• Water quality, streambed sediment, soil, and

bedrock sampling in watersheds with potential for nickel-copper-platinum group elements or iron-titanium oxide mining

• Developing models to understand water

balances and to simulate hydrologic conditions under different potential mining scenarios

USGS–NRRI–MNDNR Cooperative study

(Filson and Keeley Creeks, St. Louis River)

USGS Minerals Program: 2014 – 2017

(geo-environmental modeling)

• Understand the environmental risks of Cu-Ni-PGE

mineralization in differing geologic settings

• Studies of exploratory drill core from the Duluth Complex

to assess potential for acid generation

• Determine the resiliency of watersheds and

ecosystems to possible toxicity from metals in the vicinity of proposed mining

• Biotic ligand models to estimate surface-water resiliency

to metals potentially released by mining

• Baseline landscape geochemistry in an area of past

and possible future copper mining (rocks and soils)

• Water quality, streambed sediment, and soil sampling

across the western Upper Peninsula, Michigan

Wild Rice?

• Chemistry is important!
• Sulfate is related to sulfide in sediment
• Sulfate is toxic to rice!
• However, sulfate co-occurring with Iron

and low organic carbon seems to mitigate the problem

There’s more!

Lake Superior Biological Station

Tributary Monitoring -- Streamgages

25

Lake Superior Tributary Streamflow Trends

(LaMP/CSMI/USGS/NPS/USFS/EC collaborative effort for U.S./Canada)

• Sparse data network
• Decreasing base flows
• Increased peak flows, indicating increased intensity of rainfall events

USGS Work in the big lake - Water quality and Ecosystem Activities

CSMI, ORD, CSMI, Binational LaMP

Lake Superior Biological Station

USGS Lake Superior fish survey focus areas

• Annual surveys – 115 locations, spring and summer sampling: water

profiles, zooplankton, larval and benthic fish, predator diets, micro- plastics

• Research – fish community dynamics, fish stock assessments, food web

dynamics, methods development

• CSMI integrated studies – energy transfer, survey design

Lake Superior Biological Station

USGS Program Model

Small efforts focused on synoptic and baseline environmental data: Pre- permit Follow-up time series and detailed studies Understanding environmental fate, transport and potential effects

Collecting basic data> Focusing data collection> Synthesis

What is needed?

• Common platform to understand the body of

knowledge for the watershed– What has been done? Who is involved? Where are the data? How do we share?

• Hydrology: Impact of wetlands on water quality and

hydrology ( DOC)

• Groundwater/surface water interaction
• Three dimensional understanding of geology/hydrology

(geologic atlas)

• Groundwater flow in fractured rocks
• Continued cooperation from partners and stakeholders

THANK YOU!

Lake Superior Biological Station